Tag Archives: Mexican

Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow and this is perfect for your fiesta! A couple of years ago one of the chefs from a culinary school here in Atlanta came to pitch the school to my students. As always the visit was a treat for me as well as my students. It included a short video about the school as well as a short demo. The highlight was the food demo and on this particular trip to my class it was one I’m sure they will always remember. He made migas. Some of my students knew what they were , but most did not. Scrambled eggs with peppers and add fried tortilla strips are migas in a nutshell. What was the best to most including me was the Pico de Gallo that he put on top. This fresh and simple recipe opened up my student’s eyes to just how easy it is to make this wonderful topping for tacos, migas, or just about anything. In fact this is so good you just might want to puree it and drink it with a straw.

I like it packed with some heat. Some jalapenos are hot and others are just bland. I will cut and taste until I find one that has just the right amount of heat. I want it with a big kick. I know that some don’t like the heat and that means leave out the seeds because they are the heater! Try to make it about 30 minutes before serving to let the flavor develop. The leftovers will be good for about 2 days, but I doubt they will last that long. I serve as a side for all my Mexican dishes but I especially like to dump a huge amount on this salad. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I have for about the last four years. Have fun at your fiesta!

Pico de Gallo put together from several recipes

Yield about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

3 small tomatoes diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 jalapeno diced

3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/2 lime freshly squeezed ( about tablespoon)

1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt

Directions:

Dice tomatoes. I like to use the tomato juice. You may want to drain and save the juice. You could add it as needed.

Add chopped jalapeno, onion and cilantro.

Squeeze 1/2 a lime into vegetables. Again you may need all the juice and you may not depending on the size of the lime. Taste and adjust as needed. You may even need more.

Usually on Thursday night I plan my menus for the week and then do my grocery shopping on Friday. I can spend hours pouring through my food magazines or my collection of cookbooks and really confuse myself with all the choices. Or I can just pull out my collections of menus planned from a year ago or two years ago to make it easier. Some of you are saying “What is she talking about?”. The best way to save money, time, and eat healthier is to take the time to plan your menus for the week. I have done this my entire life. I cannot just go to the store and start pulling things off the shelf and have dinner for a week. I challenge you to give this a try. You will be surprised at how much more organized your life will be. This way you are less likely to pick up fast food or pack up the family and go out for dinner.

Here is one of my favorite go to meals that is quick, good and for us has leftovers for the next day and then some to freeze. It is a new twist on an old favorite spaghetti. Just add a green salad and you have a perfect week night meal. Some steps can be done ahead saving you even more time when you are rushed to get dinner on the table. Peppers can be diced, cheese grated, or just go ahead and make the sauce.

This is one the most favorite dishes that we prepare in my class. Everybody loves this! I have former students that call me because they have lost their recipe and please can I send it because they are dying to make them. This has been around for quite a while. In fact a students found the recipe and brought it to me to try. It appeared on a can of Durkee’s French Fried onion rings. You can view it here on their site.

You will probably be surprised when I tell you that this is not the easiest recipe for students to grasp. There are many steps and it is hard for them process all of them. Even with a demonstration and much discussion they will ask me a million questions and still some will not get it quite right.